Sight for firearms.



Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

.. lNGTRUIiiS 1 r-'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOHN CAB/LIN DOWNEY, OF SOUTH PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA,AUSTRALIA.

SIGHT FOR FIREARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J OHN CAR- LIN DOWNEY, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain, residing at South Perth, in the State of lVesternAustralia and Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Sights for Firearms, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in sights forfirearms.

In this invention the first chief feature consists in the means wherebythe sight leaf with its sight bar and sight plate as a combined whole ismade to traverse bodily across the barrel of the rifle, said movementbeing obtained by two milled wheels fixed to the ends of a screwthreaded spindle which inter-screws into the seat block on which thesight leaf slides, the whole being held on the ordinary bracket of therifle.

The second chief feature consists in the locking and unlocking meanswhereby the sight plate and sight bar may be rapidly moved up and downthe sight leaf and without the use of the elevator screw.

The third main improvement consists in the employment of a rotatableorthoptic disk which is secured to the top of the sight leaf and formedwith notches and openings to coincide with the back sight of the rifle.

The invention comprising the above and other improvements will now beexplained in conjunction with the attached drawings in which Figures 1and 2 are respectively front and back views showing the sight leaf as invertical position on the barrel of the rifle. Fig. 3 is a part plan viewof Fig. 1 and showing the attachment of the orthoptic disk. Fig. 4.shows the sight leaf in its horizontal position on the barrel of therifle. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lock device for the sightplate. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the orthoptic disk. Figs. 7 and 8are respectively front and sectional views of the sight bar. Fig. 9shows an alternative construction of the sight leaf seat for its easyattachment to and removal from the rifle barrel and without disturbinthe traversing gear. Fig. 10 shows an altered form of sight bar andmeans for holding it to the sight leaf. Fig. 11 shows a divergent formof sight leaf for automatically overcoming the drift of the bullet. Fig.12 illustrates the application of my traversing movement to thegovernment regulation sight leaf.

In this invention the sight leaf as a is slidably related to the seatblock a on which the sight leaf sits, said block being held between thecheeks of the bracket a formed on the barrel a of the rifle. This seatblock a is internally threaded to receive the screw threaded spindle bwhich rotates loosely and is guided in the cheeks b of the bracket a andalso in the shoulders b of the sight leaf as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.This spindle b is rotated by the milled wheels 11 and b which are fixedat each end of the spindle and butt up flush against the shoulders Z2The rotation of these wheels causes the sight leaf and its attachedparts to bodily traverse in either direction across the face of thebarrel 60. The spindle 6 acts as the traversing agent for the sight leafand also acts as the usual hinge pin for allowing the sight leaf to beraised or lowered as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4:. One of these milledwheels 72 (see Figs. 1 and 2) is made with an inwardly extending boss I)having a square section terminal as b for engagement with a spring as cwhich latter is secured as at c to the sight leaf. By means of thisspring and square formation I obtain an indicator or escapement actionat each quarterly turn of the traverse spindle 6, whereby the riflemanmay set the gage by feel in addition to that of sight. Said spring maybe pushed aside on 0 so as to release it from the square I). The sightplate slides up and down the face of the sight leaf and being made withthe upper cross bar cl whose left hand end (Z is suitably out out andbutts up against the guide ridge (Z formed on the side of the sightleaf. The back of this bar (Z engages with the ramp d when the sightleaf is used for short range firing and in the position as shown in Fig.4. The lower bar d carries the sight piece (Z made in the form of a clip(see Figs. 7 and 8) and having the usual V notch and also formed withthe orthoptic opening d for fine sighting. This sight piece d isreversible on its bar (i so permitting either the V notch or the opening(2 to be employed as desired. This sight piece is made with small dentswhich fit into corresponding indentations cZ formed on the upper face 03of the bar (i as shown clearly in Fig. 7, the purpose being that eachindentation coincides with a given number of degrees to the right orleft and retains the sight piece at any such desired point. The sightplate 0Zd* is operated in its up and down movement on the sight leaf bythe screw spindle e for fine adjustment. Said spindle interscrews into anut as 6 having a threaded groove and formed on the upper bar d of thesight plate, said grooved nut is made to close for action upon thespindle e by means of the locking and unlocking cam device 6 which ispivoted on the pin 6 The construction of this device 6 is clearly shownin Fig. 5; it is made with spiral incline faces 6 which engage withcorrespondingly incline faces formed on the outer end of the bar (Z.This device is formed with the shoulders e oppositely to each other soas to lock home against the back and front faces of the side of thesight leaf. The screw 0 is actuated by the milled wheel f so as to givethe vertical traversing movement to the sight plate, said screw beingformed with the square 7 for engagement with the spring f for obtaininga similar indicator or feel action as above mentioned in connection withthe traverse setting of the sight plate. When it is desired to rapidlyraise or lower the sight plate without the aid of the spindle e, thedevice 6 is unlocked by giving a quarter turn whereupon the sight plateis thrown out of operative engagement with said spindle and is free forbeing raised or lowered. On the head of the sight leaf and for finesighting I attach an orthoptic disk 9 (see Figs. 3 and 6) formed with Vnotches and orthoptic openings 9 of varying sizes. This disk isrotatable on its pin 9 and adapted to be brought so that the openings 9and notches coincide with the usual V sight of the sight leaf.

Referring to Fig. 9 there is shown in section an alternativeconstruction of the seat block 0. for the easy attachment and detachmentof the sight leaf to or from the barrel. Said construction consists informing the seat block with a downward extension as h in which is formedthe additional hole to receive the hinge pin b for connecting the sightleaf and its parts to the barrel and independent of the traversingspindle b. By removing the pin h the sight lea-f and its attached partsas a whole is unshipped from ofi' the barrel when not required and without disturbing the traversing gear.

The alternative means for the rapid up and down travel of the sightplate on the sight leaf as shown in Fig. 10 consists of a leaf spring asj which impinges at its edges j" against the edge of one side of thesight leaf and is held in position by the pin j and recessed guides asshown in the shoulders 7' of the sight plate 3' In this figure the sightplate is made with the back bar as j for engagement with the ramp whenthe sight leaf is used in the horizontal position as in Fig. 4. In Fig.11 the sight leaf is made with its one side is divergent from the fellowside 7: so that upon the raising or lowering of the sight plate thesight bar is automatically brought to the right so as to overcome thedrift of the bullet which latter has a tendency owing to its left handedspin to leave its true line of fire.

Referring to Fig. 12 there is shown the application of my invention to aregulation sight leaf, this result being obtained by lnnging'the sightleaf at m by the pin m to the carriage bed m and which latter with itsattached sight leaf is made to traverse by the screw Z) and wheels (3and b in similar manner as above described in connection with Figs. 1and 2. The sight leaf and sight plate are marked with the degrees forreading in the usual manner.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In a sight for firearms, the combination with a sight leaf havinga pair of spaced shoulders and a slidably related seat block between theshoulders, of a bracket having means for holding the seat block againstmovement and a transverse spindle having threaded engagement with theseat block andcarried by the sight leaf and rotatably mounted on theshoulders but having no axial movement relative thereto.

2. In a sight for firearms, the combination with a sight leaf of a sightplate adj ustable longitudinally of the sight leaf and including atransverse bar, and a sight piece mounted on the bar and having aV-shaped notch at one end and an opening at another end, the sight piecebeing reversible on the bar.

8. In a sight for firearms, a pivotally mounted sight leaf arranged toassume a vertical or horizontal position on the barrel of a firearm anda disk provided with sight openings and pivotally mounted at the freeend of the sight leaf in a plane at a right angle to the plane of thesight leaf.

4. In a sight for firearms, the combination with a sight leaf and anadjusting screw extending longitudinally thereof, of a sight platehaving a threaded grooved portlon rigid therewith for engagement withthe In testimony whereof I have hereunto set screw, and a memberprovided on the sight my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 10plate for engagement with the sight leaf to nesses.

maintain the engagement of the screw and 5 grooved portion, said memberbeing oper- WILLIAM JOHN CARLIN DOWNEY' able to permit of the movementof the sight Witnesses: plate in effecting a disengagement of theRICHARD SPARROW, screw and the grooved portion. UDOLPI-IO WOLFE BURKE.

